There is emphasis on statutory and ad hoc delegates for the one-day event because both the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have opted for the indirect mode or delegate option as against consensus and direct method.
But the coast is not clear for the “automatic delegates.” The cloud of uncertainty over their eligibility is yet to fizzle out. The delegates to the primaries are yet to be properly defined.
Time is of essence. It is running out. Although President Muhammadu Buhari has returned from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where he had gone to commiserate with the government over the passage of its leader, there is no news about any assent to that aspect of the Electoral Act Bill.
Even, if the president signs today, the parties cannot meet the time requirement. According to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) guidelines, parties are expected to submit the list of delegates, statutory and elected, seven days before the primaries.
Governorship and House of Representatives primaries are slated for Thursday. The PDP presidential primary starts on Saturday. That of the ruling party kicks off on Sunday. Therefore, the deadline cannot be met.
If the bill is signed today or tomorrow, it may be futile, unless INEC gives a nod to the request by the parties to shift the primaries.
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